Associate Democratic Governance Officer (P2)

Background:

The post of Associate Democratic Governance Officer will become vacant as of 1 August 2023.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis. 

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the principal institution of the OSCE responsible for the human dimension. ODIHR is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and the rule of law. ODIHR's assistance projects and other activities are implemented in participating States in accordance with ODIHR's mandate. 

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Democratic Governance Officer reports to the Chief of the Democratic Governance and Gender Unit in the Democratization Department of the ODIHR. The foremost task of the incumbent is to contribute to the strategic planning and the implementation of project initiatives under the Unit's democratic governance programme. The incumbent is expected to develop innovative methodologies and partnerships for effective strengthening of democratic governance and increasing citizen participation throughout the OSCE region. Furthermore, the incumbent identifies, collects and systematizes relevant information in the field of democratic governance, as well as establishes and maintains contact with key actors. 

More specifically, the Associate Democratic Governance Officer performs the following duties:

1. Receiving, reviewing and carrying out the first analysis for all issues concerning democratic governance within ODIHR;
2. Providing assistance and advice to other parts of the Office implementing projects with democratic governance components;
3. Liaising with OSCE field operations and other OSCE institutions about the Unit’s activities through field trips, Human Dimension events, exchange of reports and regular communication;
4. Assisting in assessing the compatibility of legal and policy frameworks with OSCE commitments and international standards;
5. Developing, managing and implementing project activities for strengthening civil society participation and furthering democratic governance;
6. Collecting and analyzing relevant information from OSCE field missions, EOM reports, specialized papers and reviews in order to identify existing initiatives, practices and lessons learned in the fields of political party development and parliamentary reform activities in the OSCE region;
7. Establishing and maintaining contact with key partners in the field of democratic governance (NGOs, think-tanks, institutes and universities, etc) for the purpose of identifying existing initiatives, possible synergies and ways of effective cooperation with relevant actors in the common goal of strengthening democratic governance in the OSCE region; 
8. Performing other duties as required.

Education and Experience:

• First-level university degree, in political and/or social sciences, international relations, law or other related field; 
• A minimum of four years of professional experience in external relations, NGO, political parties or international organization, including two years at the international level on civil society and democratic governance issues; 
• Demonstrated experience in project management;
• Computer literacy with practical experience with Microsoft applications;
• Excellent knowledge of English is required and working knowledge of Russian or other OSCE language is an asset; 
• Ability to work with people of different nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

Remuneration Package:

Monthly remuneration is around EUR 4,400, with the actual monthly salary depending on post adjustment and family status. OSCE salaries are exempt from taxation in Poland. Social benefits will include participation in the Cigna medical insurance scheme and the OSCE Provident Fund. The Organization contributes an amount equivalent to 15% of the employee's salary to this Fund and the employee contributes 7.5%. Other allowances and benefits are similar to those offered under the United Nations Common System.

Appointments are normally made at step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under  https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration. 

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see https://www.osce.org/participating-states.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see:
https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation, therefore the maximum period of service in this post is 7 years. 

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.